When on a dive trip or diving from a liveaboard, it’s easy to mix up your gear with someone else’s — there’s nothing that looks more like a pair of black fins than another pair of black fins. Here are some of our top tips to mark and identify your scuba gear so that you go home with the same equipment you came with.
Have a distinctive bag
Get an easily recognizable mesh bag that you can spot among the others on the boat, or at least clearly tag it with your name. Most equipment manufacturers offer mesh bags in their gear lines. If possible, pack your gear into your bag yourself after the dive so no one mistake’s it for someone else’s.
Get metal tags
Engraved metal tags help identify your BCD and regulator. On a BCD, you can even use these tags as a sort-of safety device if the tag is engraved with your blood type, allergies and emergency contact information. You will find plenty of online shops that offer these products, which are both affordable and resistant to water.
Consider custom gear
If you’d like to get your exposure protection custom-made, it’s easy to personalize your mask strap, wetsuit, hood — basically all your neoprene. It needn’t be bright and shiny, but you can have your name put on things or choose a specific color that will be easy to identify.
Use a marker
You can’t put a tag on some of your equipment, like your fins. A few marker brands are resistant enough to water and friction, however, that you can use them to mark your soft goods. Be as creative or simple as you want, from just writing your initials somewhere on your stuff to decorating your mask strap.
Use colorful items
More and more manufacturers offer a wide range of colors for their equipment, including fins, computers, wetsuits and high-pressure hoses. We’re not saying you need to look like an underwater clown, but if you enjoy seeing some color in your gear, this is also a good way to identify it.
